Maddison was ok today. He has had a long time out and is starting to get to speed. I think he was a positive. The problem at the start was they made their extra midfielder tell and we played two forwards but the ball wasn't sticking.
The ball goes up and we lose possession. They, on the other hand kept the ball and hardly got tackled and put under pressure. To be fair, injuries can deprive you of the continuity you need to get a groove going. That and having effective players you have to wrap in cotton wool.
But maybe, alongside the enforced changes, we make a few too many changes to rotate the squad when whilst it may benefit in some aspects, it also may make us a bit more disjointed. When we played our best football, they caught us. That is also worth noting. We could have probably have played for a draw and got it. That is the sort of side we are, we are good at stifling teams, but when you play some teams there is an onus on you to beat them and that is what we need to work on.
Have a look at that... Bowyer has taken the absolute piss. As someone who was there 1.5hrs before kick off ready to cheer the boys on, with at least half of the crowd being either Children or 'older', please forgive us for not singing start to finish with a drum for 90 minutes while that team did next to nothing. The setup was totally inept, the tactics were bang off and playing on Saturday is no excuse.
For the first time, my attention is on Bowyer. If you have players in your lineup like Maddison, Shinnie, Gilbey, Watson, Gunter, Washington and you can't get them creating, then maybe your system needs some attention, rather than the fans.
But then he isnt blaming the fans for the performance
“I’ve just said to them in there, if you can’t play in front of 2,000 then stop the game now. Because this stadium will be full again – 2,000 is not a big amount of people, so you shouldn’t get nervous and doing the wrong thing or hiding from the ball. None of them did that.
“Listen, the players didn’t really do too much to get people on their feet – but sometimes they need a bit of help, and that’s what our fans are great at.
Is he blaming us? No.
Is it criticism? It's so easily interpreted that way that I think I am well within my rights to take it as such.
However you cut it, they are bad comments to make. I can imagine he was asked some very leading questions to generate some consternation and chat, sure, but you have to have a bit of nous and know when to speak your mind and hold your tongue. In this case Bowyer spoke without thinking and it has pissed many of us off.
But it will all be forgotten if we get back on track on Saturday and that is what Bowyer and us fans have to look to. He is a manager and we are still in a decent position. A challenge/issue has shown itself and it is up to him to resolve it. That is what a manager does.
It does need resolving though and there may be some trial and error in that. I would start Bogle and Aneke. Not a cultured solution, and a very League One one, but it does require some testing. With five subs, you can try things. I think it could work at this level.
Franchise are a much better team than their league position suggests. If you care for stats and data they have been doing all the right stuff and been unlucky. Russel Martin if I'm being completely objective has had that result coming and as much as I'm against what that side stand for on a footballing level they completely got it right
As for us, clever sides are targeting Prattley and Gunter and our midfield needs to get their act together early, it is having an effect not having Inniss and Famewo there, we look vulnerable defensively at set pieces and 1 dimensional attacking them.
All this said, the first half was a great game to watch, the second half was frustrating but we have played a lot lot worse than that. What did piss me off was how easily they were allowed to gave possession in midfield, yes they outnumbered us however the desire to win the ball wasn't there for me
We missed Shinnie and Morgan when they went off but I was pleased Maddison seems keen to make things happen after his pretty sloppy and lazy game last week
Gilbey needs to set his standard a bit higher, he is our marquee signing and so far has shown some really good football in flashes but is not worthy of a start ahead of Morgan, Shinnie, Williams, Watson or Prattley. In fairness he doesn't look fighting fit
Purrington had a good game apart from a massive bollock at the end he was solid and showed intent to be first to the ball
Got to query team selection. Chuks should be starting ahead of Bogle. And then there’s Purrington! Not enough skill for me, though he showed some bottle. Anyone know what’s happened to Barker?
Got to query team selection. Chuks should be starting ahead of Bogle. And then there’s Purrington! Anyone know what’s happened to Barker?
Aneke can't manage a 90 (though I think playing him the first 60 is better), Barker apparently could suffer a career threatening mistake (Bowyers opinion)
Mixed feelings about Bowyer’s comments. He’s not slagged fans off anywhere near as much as being presented. He was asked a question and he’s answered honestly, perhaps too honestly. I think he’s built it up in his head that tonight was going to be a magical reunion and it’s turned out to be a damp squib. There won’t be any atmosphere until things are back to normal, he needs to accept that.
However, his comments have left a sour taste. There’s a fan in that stadium who’s dying wish was to go and see Charlton one last time. There are fans in that stadium who have lost their livelihoods in the past few months. There are fans who have lost loved ones. They’ve just sat in the freezing cold for hours to watch their team be battered from the first minute, you can’t begin to criticise them at all just because you’re annoyed at how the evening went.
He’s a passionate man and he has no filter, that’s one of the reasons why he’s loved universally in SE7. He’s said something stupid in the heat of the moment (who hasn’t) and I know emotions are high but let’s not destroy him over it. After what he’s done for us in the past few years he’s allowed leeway.
I’m behind Bowyer 100%, he’s never let us down before and I don’t think he will now. Remember Rochdale in the 18/19 season, it’s not the end of the world to be found out and to have to work on what we’re not good at. It’s a long season and we will only get better after January.
He can’t pick the crowd ffs. But he can set up the team better. Just because it’s MKDons in his opinion doesn’t mean he has to drop a bollock. His comments have annoyed me because there’s an obvious problem with consistency. We were outplayed for a major part of that game and the buck tonight sadly stops with him, as much respect as I have for him 😡
I think he will turn it round too. It would be helpful if he identifies what needs improving as it definitely isn't any of those 2k fans. But as you say, things get said in the heat of the moment and a good performance on Saturday and these things get forgotten quickly.
Maybe a point will come when we are fresher than other teams. It doesn't look like it tonight, but it is a long season.
Got to query team selection. Chuks should be starting ahead of Bogle. And then there’s Purrington! Anyone know what’s happened to Barker?
Aneke can't manage a 90 (though I think playing him the first 60 is better), Barker apparently could suffer a career threatening mistake (Bowyers opinion)
Ok. Agree with the first comment. Can’t for the life of me understand the second. Have I missed something?
second best pretty much all game. Their strikers & defenders bullied our defenders & strikers all game and their midfield looked quicker, fitter, won all second balls and were aware of their responsibilities where ours looked lost & laboured. MK numbers 9, 10, 29 & 35 looked a class above our players. We weren't allowed to play tonight and the long balls out of defence didn't work as we couldn't win any headers up front or in defence.
If you cannot beat crap teams at home you will bit get premonition ever!!!
Was it you had a premonition at lunchtime today...that, struggling to understand why the fans had performed so badly (no pre-season maybe), you would hit the sauce big tonight after seeing them taken to the cleaners by MK Dons?
Got to query team selection. Chuks should be starting ahead of Bogle. And then there’s Purrington! Anyone know what’s happened to Barker?
Aneke can't manage a 90 (though I think playing him the first 60 is better), Barker apparently could suffer a career threatening mistake (Bowyers opinion)
Ok. Agree with the first comment. Can’t for the life of me understand the second. Have I missed something?
I don't agree with it, but Bowyer said 'playing young talent too early can really set them back if they make a mistake' - which is logical, but surely the need of the first team beats the hypothetical downside that may or may not happen, especially when you're losing games because players are routinely out of natural positions.
Have a look at that... Bowyer has taken the absolute piss. As someone who was there 1.5hrs before kick off ready to cheer the boys on, with at least half of the crowd being either Children or 'older', please forgive us for not singing start to finish with a drum for 90 minutes while that team did next to nothing. The setup was totally inept, the tactics were bang off and playing on Saturday is no excuse.
For the first time, my attention is on Bowyer. If you have players in your lineup like Maddison, Shinnie, Gilbey, Watson, Gunter, Washington and you can't get them creating, then maybe your system needs some attention, rather than the fans.
But then he isnt blaming the fans for the performance
“I’ve just said to them in there, if you can’t play in front of 2,000 then stop the game now. Because this stadium will be full again – 2,000 is not a big amount of people, so you shouldn’t get nervous and doing the wrong thing or hiding from the ball. None of them did that.
“Listen, the players didn’t really do too much to get people on their feet – but sometimes they need a bit of help, and that’s what our fans are great at.
You can’t take the highlighted bit out of context. As soon as he opened his mouth to say the word “but”, the rest of what he said was irrelevant in the eyes of those that were there.
Reminds me of the plonkers that go “no offence but” and then say something really offensive. Numpties.
Cannot understand the stick Maddison seems to get. He did really well when he came on.
Eh? One good cross does not make up for the many attempted (and failed) Hollywood balls and absolutely zero work ethic. We are not good enough to be able to carry someone completely unwilling to work for the team.
They how I saw it, bugger all work rate needs to improve
In terms of Barker. He is a great prospect, and did brilliantly when he was thrown in. But he is 17 and you have to know when not to push things too early. I bought the Brighton game by accident, and he looked like a 17 year old rookie in that. If you play him in a defence alongside a makeshift centre half, I doubt it is sensible. We have to look after him a bit.
It's why he doesn't like wingers, or anything resembling free-flowing football. Because that involves players moving out of defensive position. And we can't be having that, can we?
Purrington popped up randomly in the box at one point. We need more of that. Of course, the one time he did, Washington got our sole shot on target rather than squaring it for what could have been a tap-in.
Our football is often robust and often effective, but it's usually extremely predictable. The luck is running low now and the excuses are coming.
I wonder if Bowyer is willing to yield his iron tactical grip to get us on the front foot.
No he didn’t blame us for the defeat but deflecting attention away from that performance! Got to question team selection & tactics tonight! Lost a bit of respect for Bowyer with those comments. Just put the heat on himself now!
If you aspire to be a top manager, you have to put the heat on yourself. It isn't about excuses, he has the tools for this level. Yes, he has issues like injuries but his job is to get us promoted and he has a squad to get us promoted. We are still nicely placed for that and we don't need excuses. You will always get set backs, but it is how you recover from them. I'm sure Bowyer, as a good manager, will sort it out. But there is something to sort out.
Got to query team selection. Chuks should be starting ahead of Bogle. And then there’s Purrington! Anyone know what’s happened to Barker?
Aneke can't manage a 90 (though I think playing him the first 60 is better), Barker apparently could suffer a career threatening mistake (Bowyers opinion)
That last sentence is utter tosh. If LB has said that then he hasn't a clue. Career threatening mistake ?? Wtf ?? I've heard it all now...
It's why he doesn't like wingers, or anything resembling free-flowing football. Because that involves players moving out of defensive position. And we can't be having that, can we?
Purrington popped up randomly in the box at one point. We need more of that. Of course, the one time he did, Washington got our sole shot on target rather than squaring it for what could have been a tap-in.
Our football is often robust and often effective, but it's usually extremely predictable. The luck is running low now and the excuses are coming.
I wonder if Bowyer is willing to yield his iron tactical grip to get us on the front foot.
But it didn't work tonight as MKD tore us apart constantly. It wasn't as if it was a dull 0-0 with both teams struggling to create chances, we managed to be both toothless AND vulnerable defensively!
It's why he doesn't like wingers, or anything resembling free-flowing football. Because that involves players moving out of defensive position. And we can't be having that, can we?
Purrington popped up randomly in the box at one point. We need more of that. Of course, the one time he did, Washington got our sole shot on target rather than squaring it for what could have been a tap-in.
Our football is often robust and often effective, but it's usually extremely predictable. The luck is running low now and the excuses are coming.
I wonder if Bowyer is willing to yield his iron tactical grip to get us on the front foot.
But it didn't work tonight as MKD tore us apart constantly. It wasn't as if it was a dull 0-0 with both teams struggling to create chances, we managed to be both toothless AND vulnerable defensively!
Watson is too old to play every game and give a consistent level of performance. We've seen his effectiveness waver violently. Today he couldn't get to grips with it at all. He either needed to not be playing or to have someone in alongside him. It might even have been a day for the dreaded KR 4-2-3-1!
Have a look at that... Bowyer has taken the absolute piss. As someone who was there 1.5hrs before kick off ready to cheer the boys on, with at least half of the crowd being either Children or 'older', please forgive us for not singing start to finish with a drum for 90 minutes while that team did next to nothing. The setup was totally inept, the tactics were bang off and playing on Saturday is no excuse.
For the first time, my attention is on Bowyer. If you have players in your lineup like Maddison, Shinnie, Gilbey, Watson, Gunter, Washington and you can't get them creating, then maybe your system needs some attention, rather than the fans.
But then he isnt blaming the fans for the performance
“I’ve just said to them in there, if you can’t play in front of 2,000 then stop the game now. Because this stadium will be full again – 2,000 is not a big amount of people, so you shouldn’t get nervous and doing the wrong thing or hiding from the ball. None of them did that.
“Listen, the players didn’t really do too much to get people on their feet – but sometimes they need a bit of help, and that’s what our fans are great at.
Sorry its not ffing good enough from Bow to dig out the fans blaming us for that. That was utter utter drivel, and he got completely out thought by their manager today. I say it as it is and that was simply not good enough. We have to improve massively if we want to get out of this division. Amos was our best player again... people will call me crazy but i think some are just blindly positive without adding any decent debate/discussion. We're probably gonna come top 6, as it stands i doubt we'll do better because we consistently put in too many limp performances.
There's definitely something wrong with our midfield. We have a lot of options, but somehow don't seem to have much energy or pace, I actually thought Pratley improved things when we moved into midfield late in the game, as he has more energy than some of the other options, and is faster than you'd expect. At least he was hassling them a bit, as today the game passed Watson and Gilbey by.
Fraser joined MKD late, but since the 3rd October has started ALL their league games, playing the full 90 in the majority of them and only going off early once (due to a knock). No sign that HE needs to be rotated
I thought I had given myself enough time to think about tonight's performance & give a more measured post but reading the last 9 pages has now brought everything back up again...🤮.
Seems like the chickens are coming home to roost. You can't play week in & week out with makeshift CH pairing.....especially when 2 are sitting on the bench & young Barker is nowhere to be seen. Then you have a striker who seems to be only able to play 30 mins & the other 2 are so shot shy it takes one of them 67 mins before they test the opposition keeper.
Play your best team from the start. I'll say it again......play your best team from the start. I can't believe that Morgan can't play 2 games in 5 days or that Aneke can't do more than 70 mins/30 mins over the same 2 game period. Someone had better show Bows the stats about if we concede first, because the way things are going if we don't score first we ain't getting much out of a game.
As for Bows comments about the fans - just to say he has form for it. The other month he threw Morgan under the bus, then it was Bogle and now it's the fans. Perhaps he should go back to France & his lakes......or sit in the stands & watch it along with the PAYING public.
I've been castigated a few times lately with my "doom & gloom" musings. All I ask is this.......is it 2 defeats in 10 or 1 win in 4 ??
Comments
The ball goes up and we lose possession. They, on the other hand kept the ball and hardly got tackled and put under pressure. To be fair, injuries can deprive you of the continuity you need to get a groove going. That and having effective players you have to wrap in cotton wool.
But maybe, alongside the enforced changes, we make a few too many changes to rotate the squad when whilst it may benefit in some aspects, it also may make us a bit more disjointed. When we played our best football, they caught us. That is also worth noting. We could have probably have played for a draw and got it. That is the sort of side we are, we are good at stifling teams, but when you play some teams there is an onus on you to beat them and that is what we need to work on.
Is it criticism? It's so easily interpreted that way that I think I am well within my rights to take it as such.
However you cut it, they are bad comments to make. I can imagine he was asked some very leading questions to generate some consternation and chat, sure, but you have to have a bit of nous and know when to speak your mind and hold your tongue. In this case Bowyer spoke without thinking and it has pissed many of us off.
https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/lee-bowyer-has-say-on-tough-night-as-charlton-fall-to-milton-keynes-loss/
londonnewsonline.co.uk/lee-bowyer-i-w…
It does need resolving though and there may be some trial and error in that. I would start Bogle and Aneke. Not a cultured solution, and a very League One one, but it does require some testing. With five subs, you can try things. I think it could work at this level.
As for us, clever sides are targeting Prattley and Gunter and our midfield needs to get their act together early, it is having an effect not having Inniss and Famewo there, we look vulnerable defensively at set pieces and 1 dimensional attacking them.
All this said, the first half was a great game to watch, the second half was frustrating but we have played a lot lot worse than that. What did piss me off was how easily they were allowed to gave possession in midfield, yes they outnumbered us however the desire to win the ball wasn't there for me
We missed Shinnie and Morgan when they went off but I was pleased Maddison seems keen to make things happen after his pretty sloppy and lazy game last week
Gilbey needs to set his standard a bit higher, he is our marquee signing and so far has shown some really good football in flashes but is not worthy of a start ahead of Morgan, Shinnie, Williams, Watson or Prattley. In fairness he doesn't look fighting fit
Purrington had a good game apart from a massive bollock at the end he was solid and showed intent to be first to the ball
I’m still freezing from getting into the ground at 6pm and sitting on my own for 4 hours - all to watch that shite.
And for the record, the 2000 fans in the ground did a bloody good job in getting the noise going at times considering the circumstances!
Maybe a point will come when we are fresher than other teams. It doesn't look like it tonight, but it is a long season.
Reminds me of the plonkers that go “no offence but” and then say something really offensive. Numpties.
It's why he doesn't like wingers, or anything resembling free-flowing football. Because that involves players moving out of defensive position. And we can't be having that, can we?
Purrington popped up randomly in the box at one point. We need more of that. Of course, the one time he did, Washington got our sole shot on target rather than squaring it for what could have been a tap-in.
Our football is often robust and often effective, but it's usually extremely predictable. The luck is running low now and the excuses are coming.
I wonder if Bowyer is willing to yield his iron tactical grip to get us on the front foot.
Fraser joined MKD late, but since the 3rd October has started ALL their league games, playing the full 90 in the majority of them and only going off early once (due to a knock). No sign that HE needs to be rotated
Seems like the chickens are coming home to roost. You can't play week in & week out with makeshift CH pairing.....especially when 2 are sitting on the bench & young Barker is nowhere to be seen. Then you have a striker who seems to be only able to play 30 mins & the other 2 are so shot shy it takes one of them 67 mins before they test the opposition keeper.
Play your best team from the start. I'll say it again......play your best team from the start. I can't believe that Morgan can't play 2 games in 5 days or that Aneke can't do more than 70 mins/30 mins over the same 2 game period. Someone had better show Bows the stats about if we concede first, because the way things are going if we don't score first we ain't getting much out of a game.
As for Bows comments about the fans - just to say he has form for it. The other month he threw Morgan under the bus, then it was Bogle and now it's the fans. Perhaps he should go back to France & his lakes......or sit in the stands & watch it along with the PAYING public.
I've been castigated a few times lately with my "doom & gloom" musings. All I ask is this.......is it 2 defeats in 10 or 1 win in 4 ??